


Dadosaurus

by J_Q



Series: TIMELESS [12]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Husbands, M/M, Predator/Prey, Sad Ian Gallagher, So many dinosaurs, domestic life, grouchy Mickey Milkovich, parenting, swearing and sexual content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-19 16:09:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20212561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_Q/pseuds/J_Q
Summary: Parenting and other landmines...Timeless one shot: can be read as a stand alone story. Mickey and Ian grew up in the neighborhood but didn't end up together until they were about twenty. Now they are busy raising a kid, while they avoid stepping on little plastic f*ckers.





	Dadosaurus

**Author's Note:**

> For Milo...may you grow up to love dinosaurs <3

The Spinosaurus was crouched low in the ferns that lined the riverbank as he awaited his prey, the mighty lungfish. He reared his head, snapping crocodile-like jaws at a tyrannosaur down river, who cowered at the sight. When the lungfish slipped silently through the rushing stream, the Spinosaurus raised his 10-inch claws and prepared to dive beneath the surface—

“Yev, get your goddamn shoes of the couch, man. How many damn times do I gotta tell you to take your shoes off if you’re gonna jump around on the furniture, kid?”

The Spinosaurus snapped his ferocious jaws at the predator that dared to enter his domain, but one look into those steely eyes and he dove into the cool water.

“For F sake, you almost knocked over my beer. Go play outside, kid.”

“Can Olivia come over?”

“Ask Dad.”

He watched the deadly Dadosaurus stalk his prey, bringing it to his mouth and taking long swallows, the powerful muscles in his throat working. Once his prey was dead, he wiped his mouth with the back of his arm. Those predatory eyes met his and the mighty eyebrows lifted in challenge. The Spinosaurus knew when he’d been bested, so he would retreat now waiting for an opportunity to bring down his greatest adversary.

Stalking his way to the back door, he heard a howl of anguish come from the riverbank. “I swear to god, if I sit on another G.D. dinosaur again, I’m gonna ban the little fuckers from this house.”

Victory is mine, the Spinosaurus thought high-tailing it to safety.

“What’s Dad hollering about now, Yevy?”

He met the soft eyes of a Brachiosaur, his long neck and legs stepping into view. He was an herbivore, sure among the biggest of the herbivores, but still a lowly herbivore, basically one step above the fern on the food chain. Yev licked his lips in anticipation while experiencing a moment of remorse, but he was a carnivore, the greatest carnivore to ever walk the forested river valley.

“I just got a text from Hannah, and she says that Olivia is bored to death. Do you want her to come over to play?”

The ferocious killer, with jaws that could trap its prey in a deadly fight to the finish and claws that could rip a creature twice its size to pieces, hugged the gangly plant eater. "Thanks Daddy."

  


Later that day, Yev watched his best friend, Olivia, splash in the puddle that ran stream-like down the back alley behind his house. The dirty water splattered over her calves and Yev imagined they were the long legs of a Diplodocus wading in the stream unknowingly disrupting a family of Plesiosaurs swimming beneath the surface.

“Let’s go get my dinos and play in the water.” Yev dropped the pile of rocks he was collecting into the pockets of his shorts and waved Olivia into the yard. She gave the puddle one final splash and raced past Yev toward the back door.

“Oh no,” Yev sighed, stopping his best friend mid-skip. She looked back at him. “The dinos are in the living room and Dad’s in there. He sat on them and was mad.”

Kicking the corner of the fence, he frowned at his friend and fellow future paleontologist. “What are we gonna do?” he continued to moan, frustrated that he had left his toys lying around.

“Maybe he’s gone. Let’s look through the window and see,” she suggested dragging him around the side of the house and creeping up to the big square window looking into the living room.

They hooked their fingertips on the ledge and slowly poked their heads up enough to see over the ledge. “I don’t see Dadosaurus,” Yev concluded happily. “Just the long neck dino sitting on the couch, and he’s not gonna be any trouble.” His Dad was opening envelops and frowning at the contents, light red eyebrows drawn together in concentration.

No sooner had the words left Yev’s mouth than other Dad entered the room and the two kids dropped to the ground in fright.

“Shit,” said Olivia, and Yev gave her a wide-eyed stare of disapproval. She just shrugged. “We need a plan, Yevy.”

Slowly, they craned their necks and peeked through the glass once more. Dadosaurus was standing in the middle of the room in loose fitting shorts and his old black slippers. He was saying something, hands flapping in front of him, and other Dad was listening, then they both smiled and Dadosaurus stepped forward leaning his shins on the couch and looking down.

Yev wanted to drag Olivia away because he knew where this was going, but he also really wanted to play with his dinosaurs. They needed a plan to save them before it was too late!

Sure enough, Dadosaurus bent over at the waist, placing his hands on the back of the couch so he could smooch with Dad.

“They do a lot of kissing,” Olivia marveled.

“Um, yeah,” Yev replied scrunching up his nose. “How are we gonna get the dinos now? This could take, like, all day.”

“I never see my Mom kiss anyone.”

Sighing audibly, Yev tore his eyes away from his dinosaurs which were piled on one of the sofa cushions. “You’re lucky.”

“I wish I had two moms. You’re lucky not me.”

Horrified at the very idea, Yev recoiled moving a few inches away from her and squatting back down to the ground. “Ew, so you could watch them kiss all day?”

“Kissing must be fun,” she replied, peeking through the window again. “Still kissing.”

Yev was thinking that Olivia must have bumped her head as he watched her watch his dads, until she dropped back to the ground beside him and said words that stopped his heart from beating.

“I think we should try kissing.”

Yev fell back on his butt in horror. She definitely bumped her head. “Um, why?”

“They look so happy.” She poked her head back up, her face all serene as she rested her chin on the window sill. “Look at them.”

“No thanks. I see that every day.”

Shaking his head, Yev thought forlornly of his dinos trapped in the kissing fields. They probably wanted out as bad has he wanted them out. Dinosaurs didn’t kiss. Yet another reason that dinosaurs were superior to humans.

Then Olivia was back, in his face this time. Her knees were butted up against his, and she shifted forward until her dirt streaked hands rested on his bare knees covering the grass stains that he didn’t remember getting.

He looked at her lips, puckered and poking out funny and wanted to laugh, but she looked so serious that he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She’d been his best friend since kindergarten two years ago, saving him from loneliness and boredom almost every day since. Now she wanted to kiss.

He pursed his lips and closed his eyes, no way was he gonna look at her when he did this. Shifting forward, his hands started to rest on top of hers, but ricocheted off when their skin met. Then their puckered lips touched and Yev opened his eyes. Wide. Olivia looked back at him and they broke apart.

“Nope, I still don’t get it,” she concluded turning back to the window. “So what’s the plan, Yevy?”

Feeling like he’d just outrun a herd of Velociraptors, Yev rubbed his sweaty palms on the front of his shorts and returned his attention to the rescue mission.

Dinosaurs were definitely superior to humans. Well, superior to most humans, anyway. Yev rested his chin on the ledge beside Olivia’s wondering if one day he might want to kiss his best friend.

****

“Yev, Jesus, syrup doesn’t grow on trees.”

“Yes it does, Daddy. It grows on maple trees.” His little dinosaur shaped fork left a trail in the mess on his plate.

“Whatever, this syrup grew on the grocery store shelf, kid, and you’re using too much.”

“But you got the same amount as me!”

“I’m the parent, so you—”

“Jesus, Mickey, stop nagging him every damn second.”

“Says the world’s biggest nag.”

Ian slammed the spatula down on the counter top and shoved the hot pan to the back burner. He was done making pancakes for the ungrateful asshole, especially since he was the one who requested they have breakfast for supper tonight.

“You been in a bitchy mood all day,” Mickey added, ignoring the storm brewing inside Ian. “Worse than usual, man.”

Biting hard on the side of his lip to keep the overwhelming irritability from erupting, Ian dropped the oven mitt and stormed over to the table, where his pancakes were getting cold. The sight of Mickey’s syrup soaked meal turned his already unsettled stomach and he scowled in annoyance. “That’s fucking disgusting.”

“Don’t eat it then, Princess.” Mickey stabbed two huge chunks of pancake, swiped them through the pool of maple syrup and slowly brought them to his mouth. His lips opened wide so he could stuff the whole forkful between them. As he pulled the fork away, syrup dripped down his chin and his tongue poked out to swipe at it, giving Ian a glimpse of the mush inside.

“Gross,” he snapped, locking eyes with his husband.

“Daddy! The house is on fire!”

Mickey’s chair flew backward as he pushed past Ian, who stood frozen watching smoke curl up from the discarded oven mitt as Mickey gingerly tossed it into the sink and ran water over it. “Forgot to turn the burner off, man.”

Ian frowned as he tried to remember being that forgetful, but thinking left him feeling tired and overwhelmed by the situation, even while Yev’s arms circled his waist and his head rested on Ian’s belly. Absently, Ian rubbed a hand over the back of his son’s dark blond hair, making repetitive circles.

“Gotta be more careful,” Mickey continued as he walked away from the mess in the sink to grab a beer from the fridge. “Burn the damn house down.”

Without looking at Ian or the dishes on the table, he made his way through the kitchen towards the living room.

“Where are you going?”

Waving the beer bottle above his head, Mickey said, “To relax.”

“What about the dishes and shit?”

“They aren’t going anywhere.”

Ian felt tears prick the back of his eyes as the weight of even simple daily chores suffocated him. “Don’t you dare leave this kitchen.”

Pausing at the threshold, Mickey gulped down about half the contents of the bottle before looking at Ian. “Maybe I’ll leave more than this kitchen.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re being a prick and I’m getting fed up, so I’m gonna leave before I say shit that I actually don’t mean.” 

“So you’re gonna use that as an excuse to go get drunk?” The haze of sadness was replaced with a haze of red as anger swept over Ian.

“Don’t need no excuse for that, but it beats the hell out of being bitched at all day.”

“More like it beats the hell out of doing anything to help out around here.”

The beer bottle make a loud crack as Mickey slammed it on the counter top, and Yev’s arms tightened their hold. “That’s my cue,” he said calmly as he walked out of the house without looking back.

“Daddy?”

“It’s okay, Yev. Dads fight. Nothing to worry about.” Nothing, that sounded perfect to Ian.

“He’ll come back.” While it sounded like a statement, the way Yev looked up at Ian made it seem like it was more of a question, or maybe, Ian’s tormented brain suggested, it was an accusation. Maybe Yev thought Ian was responsible for his father leaving. "He's just mad."

“Yeah. He loves us too much to be gone long.” Ian's self doubt continued to beat him up before his heart could remind him it was true. “Why don’t you get ready for bed, while I clean up?”

“Is the house going to burn down?”

The low level sadness trying to strangle Ian almost choked him. Not only was he responsible for driving his husband away, he was the reason their son looked petrified. “No, buddy, I promise. Let’s check all the burners.” Ian hefted Yev up to his hip even though he was getting too big to fit in the spot easily anymore. “Check each one.”

As Yev’s fingers moved over the knobs, Ian fought back the emotional tidal wave that was dominating his world today. “What do you think?”

“Off.”

“Good, so we’re safe, but how about we build a fort and sleep in it?”

“Yay!” Yev yelled and hugged Ian tight around the neck before slipping off his hip. “I’ll go find the blankets.”

“Sure, but brush your teeth first. All that syrup is gonna rot them.”

“Will Daddy brush his teeth tonight?”

Ian turned away, pretending to start the clean up. “Course.”

“Make sure he does, okay, Daddy? When he gets home late.”

Ian rested his hands on the edge of the sink and breathed deeply through his nose, fighting for focus and control, but feeling tired as hell. Tired of being constantly vigilant, knowing it wasn’t always enough. “I will. Now go brush yours.”

Just after midnight, Mickey entered the darkened house. His step was a little tentative as half a dozen beers softened the edges of his life and he wondered where his boys were sleeping. It was likely that Ian had decided to sleep with Yev because the guy would feel guilty about fighting in front of their son. Mickey didn’t worry as much about that because Yev knew they were tight, and who didn’t fight? Besides, their kid had seen a hell of a lot more affection between them than anger.

Glancing into the living room, he half expected to see a fort bed set up in front of the television, but the room was empty. He made his way upstairs to find the master bedroom empty too. Yev’s night light illuminated the crack under his bedroom door, and Mickey pushed it open to find the inevitable fort butting up against Yev’s single bed, Ian’s bare feet poking out from beneath a bedsheet affixed to a chair.

Kneeling on either side of those feet, he pushed the sheet out of the way to peer inside. Ian was laying on his back, a stuffed T-rex clutched to his bare chest and every one of Yev’s favorite bedtime stories loosely piled beside him. Yev was curled in a ball on his other side, with the rest of his stuffed dinos lined up along the edge of the fort.

They’d had a busy night apparently. Reading and playing dinos while Mickey drank with Kev at The Alibi. If he’d stayed home, it would have just ended in more bickering, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to make it up to his husband. Maybe even apologize a little. 

Balancing on his toes and palms, he lowered himself until he hovered over Ian’s body, triceps straining as he kissed him lightly on the lips. Then he pushed back up until his arms straightened, watching Ian lick his lips but remain asleep. He lowered again, kissing him harder. Pushing back up, he smiled as Ian’s eyes opened.

But Ian didn’t smile back. 

That needed to change, so Mickey lowered himself a third time capturing Ian’s lips and running his tongue between them then sliding to the side to kiss a path along his defined jawline until he reached his ear.

“I love you.”

His arms were starting to strain, so he lowered his knees to the carpet tucking them around Ian’s hips. Pushing up again to see Ian’s eyes, he whispered, “Giddy-up,” while his hips shifted suggestively.

Ian looked so sad that Mickey felt a moment of panic. “Come to bed.” He sat up, tossing aside the toy still clutched to Ian’s chest. “Please,” he whispered, feeling that cloying desperation and helplessness he’d been avoiding all day.

Sitting up, Ian wrapped his arms around Mickey’s waist but made no further move. “Yev thinks I’m sleeping here.”

“He knows where to find you if he wakes up.”

“But what if he’s scared the house is going to burn down?”

Mickey rested his cheek on the top of Ian’s head. “He’ll be fine. Looks like you played him out. Now I need the same treatment.”

“Okay.”

While that single word didn’t exude enthusiasm, it was at least agreement, so Mickey crawled back down Ian’s legs, giving his son a final look. His hair was plastered to his head from the heated confines of the fort, and he hadn’t budged during their entire conversation. Ian paused in following Mickey to tuck the discarded T-rex next to Yev’s hands which were folded under his chin.

With a lift of his eyebrows, he checked that Ian was good to go, and they made their way silently to the bedroom. Before Mickey could close their door, Ian stopped him. 

“Brush your teeth.”

“What? It’s late.”

“You have to.”

“Why is that, _ Dad _?”

“I promised Yev.”

“You promised Yev that I would brush my teeth?”

Ian shrugged and turned away, sliding his pajama bottoms over his lean hips and giving Mickey a nice view in the process.

“Fine.” 

As he spit foamy toothpaste into the sink, Mickey pushed away the shitty thoughts that were hovering near his consciousness. It was late, he was tired and he just wanted to get on Ian. What he didn’t want was life to fuck around with them, which it inevitable always did.

Back in the bedroom, his eyes had to adjust before he could make out the lump under the sheets. Ian better not have gone to sleep, he thought feeling the unease again. Tossing his clothes in the direction of the closet, Mickey lifted the sheet so he could slide in and press against Ian who was once again laying on his back.

He didn’t turn toward Mickey even when he rested his leg across Ian’s thighs making sure to rub his inner thigh over Ian’s groin in the process. The friction got Mickey going though, so he pressed himself into Ian’s hip and his eyes finally opened.

“You awake, then?”

“Yeah.”

Mickey cupped Ian’s dick, squeezing slightly and feeling it respond. Thank god.

“You mad at me?”

“No.”

“You love me?”

“Dumb question.”

The question he actually wanted to ask hovered on his tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask it. Instead, he shifted enough to straddle Ian’s hips, then looked down at him. “This okay?”

Ian smiled a little and bucked up slightly. “I love you.”

“Hot damn.”

Ian even laughed lightly then. “Giddy-up.”

Reaching across the bed, Mickey snagged the lube from the nightstand and returned to his seated position, popping the lid and squeezing some liquid into his palm. As his hand circled Ian again, the redhead closed his eyes making no move to prep Mickey.

And this was the most troubling part of everything that went down today. Ian was always adamant about making sure Mickey was ready, even when they had limited time to get it done. He continued to stroke Ian, feeling him harden and feeling his long fingers start to dig into Mickey’s thighs.

Shifting forward, he lined himself up figuring they’d skip the prep because he wanted to be connected with Ian now, not in five minutes. It was like they were having a threesome with Mickey’s building panic, which was beginning to take on a life of its own.

When he pressed himself against Ian’s erection, Ian opened his eyes but didn't comment on the lack of preparation. Instead he stared up at Mickey, eyes telling Mickey everything he was afraid to hear. Mickey whispered, “We’ll take it slow.”

Ian nodded and closed his eyes again, which was good because Mickey knew his face was having a hard time not showing his own sadness.

His body was so used to Ian’s now that it barely needed prompting to open up and he was able to move his hips, working up and down Ian’s length several times. If it wasn’t for Ian’s fingers digging into his thighs, he might have asked if the guy was still awake, but as he continued to move, feeling his chest tighten with the need to moan, Ian beat him to it.

The soft sound washed over Mickey and he released the tension building inside him. It came out sounding like “Ian.”

Their eyes met again, and stayed connected while Mickey moved faster, feeling Ian’s knees pressing into his lower back as he braced himself to meet Mickey’s thrusts, and feeling his hands move up to Mickey’s waist to lift him faster. When Ian came, one of his hands dropped from Mickey’s waist to his dick and he helped Mickey finish too.

Bracing a hand above Ian’s head, he caught his breath then reached for a tissue to clean them up enough to crash. After tossing the used tissue on the nightstand next to the lube, he reached out to knock them both into the drawer because undoubtedly Yev would be waking them up.

He lay down beside Ian staring up at the ceiling and wondering yet again if Ian was still awake. Part of Mickey wanted him to be asleep and part of him knew he’d never fall asleep himself if he didn’t find out. But his words and questions were locked inside behind his fear.

Fear of knowing, fear of not knowing, fear of Ian’s response. It was like a bunch of landmines placed between them and all Mickey wanted to do was get to Ian. He'd been evading the evidence of what was happening all day, and it had only added gasoline to the fire. 

“Maybe I should go stay at Fi’s for a bit.”

Okay, he hadn’t been expecting that landmine, and he clearly needed to keep himself under control for Ian’s sake. His eyes were going to bore holes in the ceiling he was staring at it so hard. “I’d hate that.”

“Me too.”

“Then why the fu--then stay here. In your home.”

“But,” Ian’s voice sounded shaky and it tore at Mickey, but he knew that didn’t mean he got to make it all go away by drinking or fucking or wishing, “what if I do something and Yev gets hurt?”

Jesus.

“We were fighting, man. And I wasn’t helping with supper. You were tired, I could tell and I didn’t offer to help because I was frustrated, so that’s on both of us, okay?”

“Sure, Mickey, okay.”

“Yev’s gonna get hurt for sure if you leave.”

“I didn’t mean leave, just get myself, you know, fucking normal again.”

Mickey couldn’t take it anymore; he had to have physical connection. Turning on his side, he placed a hand on Ian’s cheek, feeling the scruff because he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days. Ian continued to stare up at the ceiling though, so Mickey rolled closer bringing his lips to Ian’s forehead.

“If you go to Fi’s then I’m going with you. We’ll rearrange our schedule with Svet until you feel better.”

“What? No, Yev hates it when the schedule changes,” Ian moaned. “So do I.”

“We’re a family, Ian. We don’t break up the family when shit happens. That’s when we make sure we stick together the most.”

“But it’s okay to go to The Alibi?” Ian asked but it sounded like was actually asking if it was okay, and Mickey wanted to kick is own ass for running away.

“Course not. Only a dick would do that.”

He watched a tear roll down the side of Ian’s head and felt a response in his own eyes.

Ian finally looked at him. “Mickey.”

“I know. It’ll be okay though.” He pulled Ian's face close to his. "You gotta tell me when you're feeling off."

"Sometimes I'm just grumpy, you know," Ian countered. "I can be grumpy."

"Yup. Did you think you were just grumpy today?" Mickey held Ian's head in place so he couldn't escape, but relaxed his grip enough that Ian could shake his head. "So maybe we agree to talk about shit rather than bite each other's head off?"

"Sounds hard." Ian sighed, practically sinking into the bed. "Especially when I'm so tired."

Mickey chewed his lip a minute. "Fair enough. Let's go to sleep now. Talk about this soon though, yeah?"

Ian nodded, and when Mickey released his grip on Ian's head, they didn't move apart, which was all Mickey needed. 

****

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Yev,” Mickey sighed as the Buick sped toward Milwaukee where the Cubs were playing the Brewer’s in a second round game. He’d gotten free tickets from a client, and despite having to drive a couple hours there and back to watch the fucking Cubs play, he knew that they needed a change of scenery. 

“Daddy?” Yev repeated from the back seat. The kid had a fucking sixth sense when Mickey wasn’t paying full attention.

“Spit it out.”

“Okay, are you listening cause this one is super funny?” he asked and of course, he waited for a response, but Mickey was feeling ornery and kept his mouth shut, while wishing it was like 1960 so he could smoke in the car with a kid in the back.

“Why can't you hear a Pterodactyl using the bathroom?”

“Because they’ve been extinct for a bazillion years.”

“NO!” Yev’s giggle erupted from the backseat. “They’ve been extinct for 65 _ million _years, Daddy.”

“So about the same amount of time we’ve been driving.”

“It’s been that long?” Yev asked, amazement lacing his words. 

“Yes,” Mickey confirmed, eyeing Ian asleep in the seat beside him. His lashes were so pale they couldn’t hide the dark circles underneath. It had taken Ian a little longer than usual to stabilize this time, and he had actually spent a few days at Fi’s because Mickey needed to go out of town to a gun show that he couldn’t get out of. By then, Ian hadn’t wanted to deal with anyone and only agreed to go when Mickey had threatened to quit his job rather than leave him alone.

“Because the P is silent!”

“What P?” Mickey asked confused.

“Daddy!” Yev whined. “You weren’t paying attention.”

“Yes, I was.”

“Then why didn’t you laugh?” Yev didn’t sound convinced especially when he kicked the back of Mickey’s seat.

“Hey, keep your shit together or you’ll wake Dad.”

Mickey craned his neck to see Yev’s pissed off face through the rear view mirror. He exhaled a breath. “Tell me the joke again and I promise to pay attention.”

“I’ll just tell you a new one instead, okay, Daddy?”

“Sure. Great idea.” That would get them one joke closer to the finish line, or at least he fucking hoped so. It seemed like the kid had memorized an entire encyclopedia of dino jokes and was going to share each and everyone with his father.

“Daddy?”

Jamming his thumb and index finger into the bridge of his nose, Mickey willed his patience to come out from wherever it was hiding. 

“Yes, Yev?”

“What do you call a dinosaur who’s a noisy sleeper?”

“I don’t know.”

“A BrontoSNOREus.”

Mickey chuckled in an attempt to fulfill his contract, but Yev sighed.

“That’s not a real dinosaur,” he explained, sounding disgusted that Mickey might think it was. 

“That’s what I was going to say.”

“You were, Daddy?”

“Course. Everyone knows that.”

Mickey didn’t have to see the kid to know that he was nodding seriously. It was silent for about one blissful minute until the inevitable.

“Daddy?”

Before Mickey could blow a fuse, Ian’s voice filled the silence.

“Yev?” he said.

“Yes, Daddy?” And Mickey could detect the joy in his son’s voice that he now had Ian’s attention. 

“What do you call a dinosaur fart?”

“A blast from the past!” the two of them yelled together, and Mickey relaxed.

Several hours later, they were headed in the opposite direction, back to Chicago. Night had fallen and the car was quiet while they finished their chicken nuggets. 

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Yev?” Ian asked, slurping from his McDonald’s milkshake.

“Other Dad.”

“Yes, Yev?”

“Why did you cheer when the Cubs won? They’re North Side, Daddy?”

“Cause Chicago comes first. No matter what. Hometown, kid. Even the fucking North Side.”

It must have satisfied him because he fell silent. Either that or Subway Surfers had sucked his attention again. Mickey waved a hand at Ian to pass him the milkshake. He’d finished his long ago. Ian passed it over and settled into his seat.

“Daddy?”

Ian smiled, eyes twinkling and Mickey reached over to kiss him, keeping one eye on the nearly deserted highway. 

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Yev?”

“Did you get my Halloween costume?”

Ian sat up, looking panicked.

“Dad’s been real busy, Yev. We’ll get you something this week,” Mickey said stalling Ian’s guilt trip before it could blow out of proportion.

“But what if they don’t got any more Ironman costumes?” Yev whined around a yawn, and Mickey knew this wasn’t going to end well.

“Yev, you’re gonna have a costume and get a bag full of candy. Even if it ain’t Ironman, okay?”

“I guess,” he whimpered and Ian’s twinkle disappeared.

“Fuck sake,” he muttered. The two of them were going to be the death of him. “Why don’t you go to sleep, so you and Dad can hit the mall early tomorrow?”

Ian smirked, knowing exactly what Mickey was up to, but he twisted to look at Yev. “Hand over my phone and close your eyes, and we’ll go swimming after getting your costume.”

“Yay!”

Ian faced the front, dropping his phone into his lap, so he could rest his palm on Mickey’s thigh. He liked the feel of that and gave Ian a heated look. It had been awhile. Ian glanced over his shoulder at their nearly sleeping son, then he twisted bringing his right hand to Mickey’s thigh and his teeth to Mickey’s ear for just a second.

With a contented sigh, he rested his head on Mickey’s shoulder, but his hand continued to massage his thigh and move languidly over the front of his jeans, under his t-shirt until it reached his beating heart. “That was a good day.”

“Yeah, if you like 4-hour picnics with watered down beer.”

“You’re just pissed you had to watch the Cubs.”

Ian’s hand returned to the front of Mickey’s jeans but just rested there, like a promise for later, and Mickey tipped his head enough to rest his cheek on Ian’s head.

“Remember when Iggy stole a bunch of Sox tickets from some dude and Mandy invited me to go with you guys cause I was her boyfriend?” Ian said quietly.

“Bullshit. You were never her boyfriend.”

Ian snickered. “Her pretend boyfriend. Do you remember that though?”

“Pfft, if Ian fucking Gallagher was anywhere near a memory, I ain’t gonna forget it.”

Ian’s hand clenched around the bulge in Mickey’s pants. “Why do you love me so much?”

“Shut up.”

“Sweet talker,” Ian laughed.

“Why do you love me so much?” Mickey countered. 

“Cause you’re perfect.”

“Pfft,” Mickey spat again, but brought Ian’s roving palm up to his lips. “Anyway, yeah, I remember that night. Hot as balls, like usual.” 

“Chicago summer. But the evening was better, if I recall. All the lights lit up, looked so cool.”

“Yeah, we made it to a few games at Comiskey Field.” 

“I think you mean Guaranteed Rate Field.”

“Don’t get me fucking started on that name change, Ian.”

Laughing happily, Ian continued his reminiscing. “Iggy got us great seats. Could see the Sox dugout.”

“Checking out the players, were you?”

“Duh, were you?”

He had probably not passed up that chance. “Nah, busy checking you out.”

“Yeah, right, you were high as fuck on Iggy’s weed.”

“Like usual.”

“Seriously, unbelievable that I was hanging out getting high with the Milkovich siblings. Fi would a flipped out if she’d know where I was that night.”

“It was a rare night. Didn’t rob or kill a single soul,” he agreed. “Until later that is.”

“For real?” Ian tipped his head up to check Mickey’s face for seriousness.

“Dunno. Ian Gallagher wasn’t involved so my memory is shit.”

“Reasonable assumption though.”

“Yup.”

The car was silent other than the hum of the motor, and Mickey decided to get his hands on some more tickets. Even if he had to watch the Cubs.

“What else do you remember?” Ian asked, clearly still enjoying his little trip down memory lane.

“Told you. That I was horny for your ass, as usual.”

“Gawd, if I’d known…” he trailed off as they both imagined all the banging that would have happened had they discovered each other as teenagers. “I seriously had no idea you were gay.”

“That makes two of us,” Mickey snickered.

“You must of suspected, if you were horny for my ass.”

“Well, if you wanna get technical, I wasn’t horny for your _ ass _.”

“Yeah, I know what you were horny for.”

“Same thing I’m horny for right now,” he whispered in case their son wasn’t fully asleep, but he also rolled his hips towards Ian’s hand. “You.”

“Mm,” Ian moaned. “How long until we’re home?”

“65 million years.”

Ian laughed as his mouth pressed into Mickey’s shoulder. 

“Thinking about that game getting you hard, Gallagher?” Mickey teased.

“Yeah, I remember getting the fucking foot long hot dog.” He laughed at his poor excuse for innuendo.

“Actually, I remember that as well.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I told you I don’t forget anything that involved you.”

Ian shifted so he could look at Mickey, eyes all big and soft, looking black in the darkened interior of the car. Windows to the soul was right. Mickey could feel it wrap around him. “I watched you eat that hot dog covered in fucking ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, made a damn mess.”

“It was probably the best dog I ever ate.”

“That’s cause you were high as shit.”

“Maybe.” He shrugged, cheek settling in on Mickey’s shoulder again.

“I also watched you sip whisky from your little flask, acting like you were some grown up,” he chuckled. “I watched you put up with Mandy’s grabby hands, her sitting in your goddamn lap. Bitch. Yeah, I watched you. I watched you so I could see you smile.”

“What?” Ian whispered.

Mickey returned his attention to the road, feeling suddenly a little too exposed, running his damn mouth off.

“Don’t stop. Please,” Ian begged.

Mickey shrugged, bumping Ian’s chin in the process. “Nothing more to tell.”

Ian rested his head back on Mickey’s shoulder, and his thumb continued it’s slow exploration of Mickey’s zipper.

“That’s why I ripped off Kash so often. I mean I did need sour cream or whatever sometimes, but no one eats that many Pringles.”

He could feel Ian’s smile moving the muscles of his cheeks. “Well, you were doing a shitty job of seeing my smile.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t know I wanted to see your dumb smile until I'd actually seen it. Before that I just wanted to...see you.”

“Would you have pulled my pigtails if I had any?” Ian teased happily.

“Course.”

They sat in silence again until Mickey couldn’t hold his question in any longer.

“Did you want to see me? Ever?” He figured the answer was probably no because he was a mess back then. Dirty, mean, hiding. Not exactly dating material.

“I was too scared to think of you in that way, but I don’t think I was ever as aware of another human being as I was of you. Even back then. If you were around, it felt like everyone else faded.”

Mickey thought about how growing up gay had fucked with their chances.

“Still like that,” Ian shrugged. “Well, except Yev. I always know when he’s in the room.”

“I love you too, Daddy.”

“Oops,” Ian muttered, hand sneaking back to his own lap.

****

“You sure you don’t want to come?”

Mickey pressed his lips together to keep the laughter from escaping. “Uh, yeah, go on without me.”

Ian nodded while attempting to bend down to pick up the empty pillowcase, but his arms were confined inside his costume and couldn’t reach it. Mickey grabbed it for him, holding it out but Ian had to shuffle forward to get it.

He kept his smile pressed between his lips. “You’re a dork sometimes, man.”

“What? This is gonna be epic,” Ian retorted. “Right, Yevy?”

When he didn’t get a response, Ian turned sideways, forgetting that his tail was about four feet long and the force of it knocked their son over. He landed with a soft thud on his side, the padding from his costume absorbing the fall. 

Mickey looked around Ian to see Yev trying to roll onto his back to get up, but his own four foot tail and floppy oversized snout prevented him from maneuvering.

“What are you doing down there?” Ian asked when he managed to get himself turned toward the front door. “Get up so we can go get some candy.”

“I’m trying,” Yev grunted as Ian bent once again trying to reach his tiny T-rex arms toward his fallen comrade. “Help me up.”

“I’m trying,” Ian was grunting now too. “Jesus, these arms are useless.”

“No, Daddy. I told you they have vicious slashing claws that…” Mickey ignored the rest because his brain had reached it dino trivia maximum load for the current era.

“Gimme your hand, Yev,” he interrupted, pulling his boy to standing. As he stepped back, he was hit in the ass with Ian’s tail. “Jesus, you two are a menace to society.”

“Okay, I got your pillowcase. Ready to go?”

“No,” Yev said quietly, eyes starting to brim with tears. “I gotta pee.”

Mickey was actually bent over in laughter as Ian tried to unhook Yev’s giant Triceratops head from the costume so he could release the zipper running along the belly of the costume. 

“You could help, you know,” Ian said but kept his annoyance in check.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Mickey continued to laugh as Ian’s tiny arms grabbed helplessly at Yev’s costume and Yev started hopping around.

“I’m gonna pee, Daddy!”

Mickey pushed between the two dinosaurs and whipped the costume down Yev’s legs, hauling him out of it by the armpits. Because the costume was so warm, he was only in underwear, which he had pulled down before he swerved into the bathroom.

Chuckling, Mickey turned toward Ian, who was chewing his lip thoughtfully. “Damn it.”

“Lemme guess,” Mickey snickered. “You gotta pee too.”

“Don’t fucking laugh. This thing a bitch to get in and out of.”

“No shit. Need a hand?” Mickey offered, deciding that Halloween may actually be a holiday he could get on board with.

“Yes,” Ian bit out as he tried to extract a hand from his costume.

Still chuckling slightly, Mickey stepped closer angling his head between the padded jaws to press a kiss to Ian’s lips. “Kinky.”

Ian let out an exhausted breath. “I might have bit off more than I can chew with these costumes.”

“Ya think?”

Ian had the zipper undone and was peering down at his groin. “I wonder if I can do this without getting out of the costume.”

“I’ll get my phone and join you in the can.”

“What?”

“I gotta get a video of this, man.”

“Fuck off, Mickey.”

“Come on. Pleeeeease.”

“If I say yes, will come with us?”

“Pleeeeese,” Yev added as he returned. “Come with us!”

“Fine,” Mickey huffed. “As if I was gonna let you two roam around alone in those get-ups.”

“Help me get in my costume, Daddy.”

“Yeah, in a second. Gotta do something first, kid,” he explained as he followed the four foot tail to the bathroom.

“What do you gotta do?” he asked, picking up his dinosaur head and pulling it over his own head. 

“Dad needs me to hold his tail while he pisses,” Mickey chuckled again.

“Can I come too?” Yev asked but didn’t wait for a response. He just pushed his oversized dinosaur head between the door frame and Mickey’s arm. “That’s funny, Daddy.”

Ian was bent awkwardly trying to aim away from the costume. “Don’t you try this, Yev.”

After snapping a few pics, Mickey set his phone down on the bathroom counter and straddled Ian’s tail, so he could reach around and hold some of the padded material out of the way. A laugh was rumbling in his chest again at the ridiculousness of the situation.

_ Click _.

“What the hell, kid?” Mickey said, glancing over as the flash snapped again.

“It’s super funny and Auntie Mandy would think it’s super funny too. Can I send her this picture somehow? She has Instagram. Do you have Instagram?”

“Shit, the zipper is caught,” Ian groaned, flushing and closing the toilet seat.

Mickey stepped over the tail and around to the front of the costume, giving him access to the zipper, which was definitely stuck. He sat on the closed seat to see it better. 

_ Click _.

Another laugh escaped from Mickey’s chest as he imagined how kinky it would probably look to anyone over the age of 9. His face was inches away from the dick of a six foot T-rex. He fucking loved Halloween.

“You’re not gonna send them, are you?”

Glancing up at Ian, he rolled his eyes. “What do you think?”

“I’m just feeling a little vulnerable here.” 

Mickey really loved this guy.

“So is this a Triceratop or a Tricerabottom costume?” he snickered, trying to lift Ian’s sagging spirits as the material came away from the zipper.

“What do you think?” Ian retorted, eyes on Mickey when he stood up. “Wanna find out later?”

Before Mickey could think of a response to that proposition, Yev’s voice brought them back to reality.

“Daddy! Maybe Dad should go to the dino museum with me not you, cause he doesn’t know you’re a T-rex!”

****

“Hi, how’s it going?” Ian held his cell phone to his ear, while jumping down from the back of the rig so he could have his lunch in the break room. The only contact he had with Mickey since he’d left for Yev’s school and the dreaded ride to Chicago’s Field Museum on a yellow school bus was a single selfie taken from the second floor balcony. He and Yev with a giant Titanosaur skeleton behind them.

“Yev would like to tell you something,” Mickey answered without preamble. Ian scanned every nuance of his voice to determine how close to the edge his husband was, but his voice was quickly replaced with their son’s.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, Yev?” Ian smiled at Tom as he entered the break room, pulling his lunch kit from the fridge.

“The Titanosaur is named Máximo. That’s cool, right?’

“Very cool.” He sat at the table in the back corner, so he’d have a little privacy, getting comfortable if Yev was leading with dino talk.

“I got to touch it’s 8 foot long femur! And it weighed as much as 10 bull African elephants,” Yev yelled into the phone. “Did you hear me?”

“Yes, I have my hearing aide in.”

“What? You got a hearing aide? I thought Daddy was the one who never heard stuff.”

“I’m teasing, Yev.” He bit into his sandwich and relaxed letting his son’s excitement fill him up rather than feeling guilty that he’d had to work today instead of spending the day with him, but he’d taken too much time off after his last downward slide to turn down the shift.

“Okay. Also, Daddy?”

“Yes, Yev?”

“He has a hashtag.”

“Who? Máximo?”

“YES! And I got to text him. Daddy made me ask what his favorite kind of beer is,” Yev snickered. “Guess what he said? He said root!”

Yev cackled down the phone line. 

“Good choice.”

“Daddy also said he didn’t believe a dinosaur could text cause they didn’t have thumbs!”

“Silly Daddy, did you tell him about Bambiraptor?”

“Yes!” Yev sounded positively gleeful. “The first opposable thumbs!”

Ian didn't have the heart to remind him that they may have had thumbs, but they didn’t have WiFi. The conversation continued that way for ten more minutes. He watched Tom leave and Sue enter. She made a few hand gestures regarding picking him up something from the coffee shop across the street and Ian mimed his selection. By the time he’d returned his attention to Yev, he was mumbling about prehistoric birds.

“Can I buy the…” his voice receded so much Ian couldn’t hear him at all.

“Speak up, please.”

Again, Yev mumbled into the phone, so Ian plugged his other ear.

“Yev, I can’t hear you.”

“Can I buy the Quetzalcoatlus from the museum’s store? Please, Daddy, it’s eating its prey and it’s sooooo cool.”

“What did Dad say?”

“I didn’t ask him.”

Ian chuckled, knowing where this whole conversation was headed. “How about I do that for you? We’ll make the decision together.”

“Okay, it’s only 14.99. Tell him that, okay?”

“Sure, is he there?”

“Don’t forget to tell him it’s eating its prey.”

“I’ll make sure. Love you.”

“Love you too.” After a moment of rustling, Mickey’s voice returned.

“Hey.”

“Hey, you enjoying yourself?”

“What’s not to enjoy? Thirty screaming 7 year olds on a school bus and almost 500,000 square feet of museum?”

“Oh, how did you know the museum was that big?”

“How do you think?”

“Yev told you?” he laughed and sat back now that he’d finished his lunch.

“What’s the matter with that kid’s brain? Like a fucking sponge.”

“Well, sorry that I had to take on this shift.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll survive, but probably gonna need a foot massage. This place is huge, Ian.”

“I’m bummed out to miss it. Maybe Yev and I will do the sleepover and spend the night with the dino bones.”

“I ain’t coming with you, so don’t ask.” Ian imagined the beautiful scowl that accompanied his declaration. 

“No, we want to enjoy ourselves.”

“Asshole.” Now he imagined the beautiful grin.

“So about this toy that Yev wants,” Ian changed gears, deciding he better get to it before one of them had to end the call.

“No.” Mickey’s response was what he expected, but since Ian had promised to go to bat for the kid, he figured he’d work a few angles.

“It’s eating its prey though, and that’s cool.” Ian smiled down at his empty lunch kit, crumpling up the garbage.

“No fucking way.”

Hm, this was gonna be harder than he expected. 

“Mickey, I don’t think he has this one.”

“Don’t care. They’re taking over the damn house.”

“I know,” Ian definitely agreed. “But he loves them. It’s not like he plays with them for five minutes then forgets about them.”

“Ian.”

He could hear the peevishness in that one word and decided to end the call, but not before he laid it on thick. 

“I love you and support whatever decision you make.”

“Fuck you.”

“Thanks for covering the parent helper shift for me. You’re the best, babe.”

“Ian.”

Mixed with the peevishness this time was suspicion. 

“Gotta run. Got lives to save and all that. Give our son a big hug for me.”

“Fuck sake.”

“Can’t wait to rub your feet.”

And the line went dead in Mickey’s hand. Damn Gallagher and his wily ways, but he wasn’t giving in on this one. Yev had hundreds of dinosaurs, basically every fucking one he asked for thanks to Ian, who seemed to think it was required for the kid to grow up and not become a goddamn serial killer.

Mickey followed the crowd of kids and peppy moms as they finished up the tour and headed toward the exit. He’d put in a full day of taking selfies with a bunch of dinosaur bones and guarding the bathroom door as one kid after another used the toilet.

He was done, but the assholes who designed the museum made damn sure that parents had to fight their way through the museum store in order to leave the building. Mickey was standing his ground on this one though.

His eyes met Yev’s and narrowed, daring the boy to ask. His little face disappeared behind one of the displays and Mickey relaxed, figuring he still had it. The look that had terrified a generation of shitheads back in school surely had the power to shut down one mini Milkovich.

Yev reappeared beside him, dino bird thing clutched in his grip.

Fuck, he’d forgotten that the kid was half Svetlana’s and a frizzle of honest to god fear spiked his system, which was ridiculous. The kid was nothing like Svet. 

But he could whine with the best of them and Mickey knew, he fucking knew, he wasn’t gonna hear the end of it. That pissed him off and he shook his head twice. When Yev didn’t move, still clutched the creature only closer to his chest this time, Mickey crossed his arms.

“Please,” Yev pouted, lip wobbling, eyes filling. “Daddy.”

“Put it down.”

“No.”

Mickey traced his bottom lip aggressively. His eyes shifted around him, scanning for the other parents and teachers, but the place was a zoo and no one was paying them any attention.

“You got money to pay for it?”

“Can I borrow money?”

“No.”

“Can I have your phone?”

“No.” 

“Wwwwwhy?”

“Cause you’re gonna call and ask Dad for money.”

Yev’s shoulders sagged and he smacked the figurine on the nearest counter. “You’re so mean.”

“I’m not arguing.”

“Cause you’re mean.”

“Yev, don’t push me.”

But the boy was clearly beyond reasoning now. 

“Mean,” he repeated, pushing a small herd of tiny dinosaurs to the floor.

Mickey blinked in surprise, not expecting this much of a reaction. Now he had to deal with a new confrontation. Sighing deeply, he stepped closer to his son. “Pick them up.”

“N-no.”

Holy shit, Mickey almost smiled at the kid’s nerve. Instead he placed a palm on his shoulder and spoke quietly. Very quietly. “Now.”

Tears popped out of each corner of Yev’s eyes, but he picked them up, even placed them carefully in what he clearly thought was an appropriate setting for them. Once he finished, he swiped at his eyes and marched over to the other kids who were waiting in a haphazard line for the school bus to pull up.

Mickey remained where he was, needing an outlet so he didn’t say or do anything he’d regret with the kid. He texted Ian: _ I said no now he’s pissed off. u tell him we’d get it? _

A moment later, Ian’s response came: _ no. want me to talk to him so he knows I’m on your side? _

He frowned at his phone screen, annoyed that Ian was being so reasonable.

_ No, its fine _, he replied and pocketed his phone as the bus arrived.

Yev sat with Olivia on the ride back to the school, and Mickey mercifully had a seat all to himself. Eventually, they found themselves walking home from Yev’s school, late fall air forming tiny puffs of fog as they breathed, but no actual words had passed between them since the encounter in the museum shop.

Figuring he was the adult and figuring he wanted to see his son smile again, Mickey finally spoke. “Hey, Yev, what do you get when you cross a Triceratops with a kangaroo?”

“Tricera-hops,” he muttered not even looking up from his intense examination of the sidewalk.

“Tough crowd.”

Yev looked up a that, checking all around him but not seeing anyone let alone a crowd. Mickey felt all of the ice melt in his veins. 

“You wanna stop for ice cream?” Who cared if winter was setting in? Yev loved ice cream almost as much as dinosaurs.

One of Yev’s shoulders lifted, but he couldn’t hide his interest.

“So that’s a yes, then?”

Again the shoulder.

“Looks like I’m getting the silent treatment.” 

Yev frowned up at him. “That sounds gross. I’m getting the cookie dough.” 

Mickey laughed and draped his arm over his son’s shoulders. “How much did you say that dinosaur weighed? Was it like 20 elephants?”

“No! 10, Daddy. 20 would be cr-azy.”

****

“Jesus Christ, Gallagher,” Mickey mumbled as shoved what felt like endless boxes out of his way. “Do you save every fucking thing?”

Ian had sent him out to their tiny garage to locate Yev’s old cleats for donation to some kids’ organization, but Mickey figured there was more than just old sports equipment that could be cleaned out. He pulled down a box labeled “Roars”.

For a second, Mickey felt the old irritation. Until he yanked open the flaps on the box and got a look at the pile of dinosaur toys. They were jammed tight into the space, all legs and necks and pointy parts, just waiting to dig into the flesh of his feet.

But instead of irritation, a surge of nostalgia swept over him. Like each one of the little fuckers held a piece of Yev’s history, a piece of their life. 

Wrapping an arm around the box, he hopped down from the ladder and set the box on his workstation, so he could examine the contents. Out came Yev’s favorite stuffed T-rex, the one he slept with for about five years. It was pretty ratty looking, one eye hanging lose. Mickey set it carefully to the side.

Digging deep into the box, he wrapped his hand around the white plastic spine of Boneknapper and carefully pulled it out because it was the pointiest of them all. He set it next to the stuffed T-rex, then arranged its parts so the creature looked like it was about to take off. Stuffing a hand into the box, he grabbed the first toy he encountered. Scowling at it, he had no clue what it was, but the head had seen better days.

“Playing with your toys?”

Ian’s voice broke his concentration. “This looks nothing like _ my _toys.”

Warm hands wrapped around Mickey’s belly and a chin dug lightly into his shoulder. “Mm, we should get that box out today too.”

“No argument here,” Mickey replied, eyes still on the dino scene he was creating.

“What else is in there?” Ian asked, pressing his chest into Mickey’s back to see better.

Mickey tipped the box toward them.

“Oh! Look it’s Quezlocoatulus,” Ian chirped. “Do you see the prey anywhere? Must of fallen to the bottom of the box.”

Mickey pulled the prehistoric bird out of the box. “How the hell do you still remember its name?”

“Spent hours watching documentaries with Yev.”

Mickey let out a long sigh, feeling that unfamiliar weight again.

“What’s up?” Ian asked tilting his head to peer at Mickey’s face.

“Nothing.”

“What’s up?” he repeated and pushed his way between Mickey’s body and the workstation. “Tell me.”

Mickey shrugged because he didn’t know. It just didn’t feel like something he wanted to feel. 

“You thinking about Yev being young? Having empty nest syndrome?”

“He’s only 16, Ian. Probably live with us until he’s 30. That’s what kids do, right?”

“I hope so. What then?” Ian pulled Mickey toward him, hands wrapping around him again.

“Why was I such a dick about all those dinosaurs?”

“I think you mean those little plastic fuckers,” Ian snickered.

“Oh yeah, that’s why.”

“He left them all over the house, all the time. They were pretty annoying.”

Mickey nodded. “Why’d I say no to the bird thing when we were at the museum? Did I have a good reason? I don’t remember. Probably just being a dick.”

“Come on. That’s not true. It was a good experience for him,” Ian reached around for the toy bringing it between their bodies. “He ended up having to work for it. Took out the trash for a whole month, so he’d have enough money to buy it when we returned for the sleepover.”

“Sure, but why did I say no? I wasn’t thinking he’d come home and start saving. Never even occurred to me. He was fucking seven.”

“Probably cause you’re not supposed to buy your kid everything he wants,” Ian suggested. “Which was something that took me a long time to learn.”

They smiled at each, and Mickey didn’t comment that he was still learning that lesson. “Guess. But I think it was because I was a dick.”

“Okay, it was because you were a dick.”

“You sure gave in easy.”

“I was getting pretty distracted with all this talk of dick.”

Mickey grinned and Ian tossed the bird back into the box.

“Yeah?”

“Mm, especially your dick,” Ian hummed into Mickey’s neck, and Mickey closed his eyes, letting his head tip to the side. “What do you call a dinosaur that never gives up?”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

Ian repeated the question, lips moving against the sensitive skin of Mickey’s neck. 

“Try-Try-Try-ceratops.”

Ian pulled away, big goofy smile on his face. “Yes! You remembered.”

“I guess I was paying attention sometimes.” 

“Mick, stop it. You try try trying to convince yourself you weren’t a good fucking dad or something?”

Ian pushed Mickey away and turned toward the workstation, dumping the entire box of dinosaurs onto the wooden counter. Then he started to sort them into piles. When he was finished, he stepped aside so Mickey could see his work.

“That pile,” Ian said pointing to about half a dozen toys, “are the dinos I bought him. And that pile I’m not sure about or someone else bought him.”

The pile was slightly bigger than Ian’s pile, and after Mickey’s eyes scanned it, they moved onto the third and final pile. The biggest of the three.

“Guess whose pile that is?” Ian asked, arms crossed, foot tapping, eyebrows lifted in triumph. 

“Whatever.”

“So much for your dick theory.”

“Guess,” Mickey mumbled, staring at the pile of dinosaurs while memories crowded his brain. A few he recognized as gifts, but others were random, just trips to the store or other events. At the bottom of his pile were a small fork and spoon with dino shaped handles. “The fuck. You kept these?”

He lifted them for inspection, remembering clearly the look on the face of his 4 year old son when he spotted them at the grocery store. No way was Mickey going to deny him. And it might have been that moment, or any of the other thousand, that he realized he was no longer the predator but the prey, at the mercy of a blue eyed boy and a green eyed man.

He met those green eyes and soft lips almost simultaneously. Ian immediately scooped him up, pushing the empty box to the cement floor, so he could set Mickey down on the counter top. 

"Fuckin' hell!" He yelped yanking a little plastic fucker from under his ass. Ian started laughing his idiot head off until Mickey shut him up with his lips.

As their mouths moved frantically on each other, Ian’s hands yanked on the end of Mickey’s belt, freeing the clasp and giving him access to the button on his jeans.

Mickey leaned back on his palms when Ian ended their kiss to concentrate on getting in Mickey’s pants. By the time Ian got his mouth on him, Mickey was ready for it. He lifted his hips a little in anticipation of something he’d felt so many times before that he could have replayed it from memory.

He never forgot an Ian Gallagher memory. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for all the great ideas ladies. <3


End file.
